Special Economic Zone and Freeport initiates CEZA 3.0 to deliver a one-stop shop for the global market in a joint venture between North Cagayan and the CBT Group.

January 17, 2023

More than just gaming licenses

In 1995, a special charter was created to enrich Cagayan with opportunities to become a “self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial, tourism, and recreational center"to attract investors locally and internationally. Although a pioneer and leader for economic stimulation in the early stages of governing, the next phase underwent controversial and litigious issues under the previous administrator who pushed for digitization projects in 2016.

Now that 2023 is here, a new iteration of plans are now in motion to begin a digital transformation initiative known as CEZA 3.0. Similar to software versioning, updates and enhancements are numerically tracked, and CEZA 3.0 is considered to be one of the most aggressive and progressive digitization projects that the zone will undergo. Composed of 5 pillars to support its vision, strategy, development, and execution, a new CEZA will rise to become the most advanced and digitized economic zone in the country.

One pillar that stands out for CEZA 3.0 is the registry for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). In December 2022, the zone announced that it would be welcoming registrations for DAOs, the common legal entity of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and web3 companies. This service will be offered through a joint venture between two partners.

The first is the North Cagayan Gaming & Amusement Corporation, the master licensed institution that issues fintech and gaming licenses in CEZA. The second is the CBT Group (CEZA Business Technologies), which will serve as the exclusive technical arm to deploy products and services in CEZA, as the group provides technologies around web3, blockchain, and gaming. Both are digital leaders in the Philippines, as evident in their selection as delegates to the upcoming ICE conference in London, which gathers top gaming companies from around the world from February 7 to 9, 2023.

Together, the products and services that will roll out are vast, including banking, payments, technologies, and an exchange. The joint venture will also offer development, consultation, and accreditation, and will be available on CEZA.orgthe official portal for CEZA 3.0.

According to Ralph Santos, the CEO of CBT, offering all of these services under a single B2B menu will be the first of its kind in the globe.

“Given the diversity of our products - from banking, infrastructure and platforms to blockchain, crypto and exchanges to licensing and accreditation with transparency - no other business in the world will be offering what we’ll offer. Businesses now have a single place online to acquire end-to-end solutions that enable them to reach their goals.” said Santos.

While most of the economic regions or zones offer primarily regulatory or licensing services - CEZA 3.0 will motivate investors with a “concept to operation to revenue” service, including incorporation, registration, tokenization with banking and payment solutions with an option to list or utilize both foreign currency exchanges or cryptocurrency exchanges already accredited by CEZA.

According to North Cagayan President Mr. Basilio (Jiji) M. Rodriguez Jr., the zone’s value proposition will be rooted in the fact that the next version of the zone will become a true one-stop shop for global businesses.

“There are many DAO registries around the world, and the same goes for any of the other products or services now on offer. But nowhere in the world can a business come to a single place to find them all. This convenience should attract more businesses to locate here, eventually building the cluster that truly creates CEZA 3.0,” said Basilio, who added that CEZA 3.0 will make an economic impact not only in the zone, but across the Philippines.

Ushering in CEZA 3.0

CEZA Secretary Jamie R. Escaño, who supported the joint venture from the beginning, did not shy away from the fact that this new operational direction of the zone is in sharp contrast to the previous controversial administration.

Escaño added that since all the technologies offered by the joint venture will be backed by the global blockchain BLX, there will be unprecedented transparency across the entire zone. An organization who applies for a particular license, for example, will be able check on its status online and in real-time. This transparency will thrust the zone out of the negative perceptions brought on by the past and instead inspire confidence.

Escaño believes these efforts will catapult the zone into CEZA 3.0.

“Attracting global business boils down to more than just the products and services. Organizations want to operate in an environment they know is safe, transparent, and principled. The leadership of the joint venture deserves high praise for prioritizing these values as much as its offerings. This combination of ethics and innovation will prove to be a winning one,” said Escaño.

Businesses interested in operating in the zone under the new Cagayan 3.0 mandate are encouraged to reach out to the CBT team here: https://ceza.org/